Rack and base



A. BERSIN RACE AND BASE April 22, 1941.

Filed June 27, v 1940 INVENTOR 1 B fl/berf 56/6? Y Q ATTORNEY PatentedApr. 22, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RACK AND BASE Albert Bersin,New York, N. Y. Application June 27,1940, Serial'No. 342,640

(o1. zu isz) 7 Claims.

This invention relates to a rack and abase therefor. The rack is onewhich is composed of rods, bars or tubes, preferably of metal. Such arack is one which is useful for hanging or displaying clothes, drapes,hangings or the like. The particular embodiment of a rack shown hereinis one suitable for displaying drapes of different lengths.

It is a particular object of the present invention to provide a basewhich will serve to stiffen a rack longitudinally and at the same timeprovide good lateral support. By providing a yoke which is offsetlongitudinally at its upper portion from its legs, a truss effect isobtained for the base which results in a substantial longitudinalbracing of the structure. Other forms of rack than that shown may beused with my base and provided with its longitudinal bracing effect.Said base is particularly adapted for a relatively long rack.

My base and rack are readily assembled from the individual pieces orparts constituting them. This is of advantage so that they may beshipped without being assembled, and further where the rack and base areto be plated, the parts may be plated before assembly. It is notconvenient to do the plating alter assembly. Where the parts are platedit is not feasible to take advantage of the stiffening action of weldedconnections because welding mars the plating.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent upon further study ofthe description and drawing, in which Fig. 1 is an elevation of a rackof my construction with a base or support in accordance alsowith myconstruction.

Fig. 2 is a sectional plan taken along the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a partial sectional plan to an enlarged scale taken along theline 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged section at the junction of one tube with anotherand shows the detail of the fastening of the tubes to each other.

Fig. 5 is a partial section to an enlarged scale taken along the line5--5 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 6 is a partial end elevation to an enlarged scale taken along theline 6-6 of Fig. 1.

The rack comprises upright members I bent over at their tops to havehorizontal portions 8. The two tallest upright members 9, however. arejoined together at their tops by a horizontal portion l0, forming withsaid latter members an inverted elongated U. All the upright members aresupported on a horizontal member I i. Each end of member ll frames intoa cross bar l2.

The cross bar 12 at each end of member H in turn extends between thegenerally downwardly extending legs [3 of a yoke M. The upper portion ofeach yoke I 4 bows inwardly toward the other yoke M. In other words, theconvex side of one yoke when viewed from above, as in Fig. 2, points tothe convex side of the other yoke. The end upright!) and the end upright1 each extend downwardly through the top of a yoke hi at its extremelyinwardly olfset location, said uprights extending downwardly from theyokes Hi to their connection with horizontal member I I. At theintersection, Fig. 5, of upright member 9 andthe upper portion of yokeI4 a pin or screw 22 is passed through both. This pin may be omitted asit is not essential to the connection, but if used will supply anadditional source of stiifness to the construction. A strong bracingaction is produced longitudinally at each end of the rack by thehorizontal offsetting of the yoke l4 combined with the fact that the endupright member frames to member I l at a distance away from cross barl2. Where yoke I4 is formed of a bar having a shape of considerablevertical depth or diameter where end uprights 9 or 1 pass through it,said end uprights are braced against rotation about their lower ends asa pivot on bar I I, even with pin 22 omitted. The greater said verticaldepth or diameter the greater the binding action of the yoke on theupright where it passes through. A further bracing action is obtainedfor the end uprights by their connection to each other at their topsthrough the horizontal portions 8 of all the uprights intermediate aswell as end. The fact that portions 8 are not'all at the same heightincreases the stiffening action. The fact that uprights 9 are integralwith each other at the top also produces a stiffening action. In otherwords bracing and connecting the end uprights at their itops preventstheir rotation about their lower ends, increasing the effectiveness ofthe offset yokes as braces. While the end uprights are preferablyattached or fastened to the yokes by passing through them, it will beunderstood by those skilled in the art that other ways of fastening canbe used, such as bolting them together without the end uprights passingthrough the yokes.

A further advantage of framing the uprights to member II at a distanceaway from cross bar I2 is that it avoids the framing of three barstogether at one intersection.

The term bar as used herein, including the claims, is intended to bebroad enough to cover a tube except as evident otherwise from thecontext. The cross sectional shape of the bar is preferably circular butother forms, such as square could be used.

In Fig. 4 is shown a typical detail of fastening one tube to the other.It is used at all the meeting places of tubes where the rack is built upof tubes except where the end upright members pass through yokes I4.Assuming that the joint shown in Fig. 4 is between one of the uprights Iand horizontal member II, a washer I5 is welded to the inside of uprightI. A tapped hole is provided in washer I5 for receiving the threaded endof a screw I6. Screw I6 passes through aligned holes in horizontalmember II, the head of the screw being nested in the bottom hole whichis countersunk. Upright I is milled out at its end so that it has theproper a member I and a member 9 are horizontal bars I! to be used forsuspending drapes or the like therefrom. They are in reality screws suchas screw I6, the threaded end, not seen, engaging one of the uprightswhile the head, also not seen, nests in the adjacent upright. From thehorizontal portions 8 are upwardly extending clips I 6 which holddescriptive cards I9 relating to drapes or other goods which are to behung from bars IT. The differences in height of the upright membersenables them to support drapes or goods of diiferent lengths.

An additional support 2| is provided under bar H to prevent unduesagging,

In Fig. 1, the upright members are shown as being of unequal heightincreasing in height from right to left, except the two at the extremeleft. It will be readily understood that this pattern can be modified byhaving the members increase or decrease in height in a different order.For example, the two tallest members 9 might be in the middle of therack with the others successively decreasing in height to the right andto the left.

I claim:

1. A supporting base for a rack comprising a longitudinal bar, a barbent into the form of a yoke at each end of the longitudinal bar, eachyoke having legs and a portion connecting one end of the legs, a crossbar for each yoke extending between the legs of the yoke, each end ofthe longitudinal bar being connected to a cross bar, with the legs ofthe yoke extending downward, the connecting portion of each yokeextending inwardly from its legs toward the other yoke at the other endof said longitudinal bar, said portion being located a substantialdistance above the longitudinal bar, and a pair of upwardly extendingbars fastened at their lower ends to said longitudinal bar, eachupwardly extending bar being so fastened at a substantial distanceinward from an end of said longitudinal bar and joined to the yoke atsaid portion above the longitudinal bar.

2. A rack comprising a longitudinal bar at its lower portion, a bar bentinto the form of a yoke at each end of the longitudinal bar, each yokehaving legs and a portion connecting one end of the legs, a cross barfor each yoke extending between said legs, a screw extending througheach leg into threaded engagement with an end 7 of the cross bar, ascrew extending through each cross bar at its mid portion into threadedengagement with an end of the longitudinal bar with the legs of the yokeextending downward, the connecting portion of each yoke extendinginwardly from its legs toward the other yoke at the other end of saidlongitudinal bar, said portion being located a substantial distanceabove the longitudinal bar, a pair of upwardly extending bars, and ascrew extending upward through the longitudinal bar at a substantialdistance inward from an end of said longitudinal bar for each of saidupright bars, the upper end of said latter screw being in threadedengagement with the bottom of an upright bar, each upright bar extendingupward from the longitudinal bar and passing through said portion of ayoke.

3. A supporting base for a rack comprising a pair of yokes, the freeends of the yokes extending downward, a lower frame extendinglongitudinally and at each end thereof transversely into connection withthe free ends of a yoke, and a pair of upright members fastened at theirlower ends to said frame, each upright member being so fastened at asubstantial distance inward from an end of said frame and at asubstantial distance below the upper portion of a yoke, the upperportion of each yoke being located inwardly from its free ends towardthe other yoke and extending over said frame at a substantial distanceabove it, each upright member being connected at an intermediate portionto the upper portion of the yoke.

4. A rack comprising a longitudinal frame at its lower portion, a pairof yokes, the free ends of each yoke extending downward from an upperconnecting portion, said frame being extended transversely at each endinto connection with the free ends of a yoke at a substantial distancebelow said upper portion, a pair of upright members fastened at theirlower ends to said frame, each upright member being so fastened at asubstantial distance inward from an end of said frame, and means forbracing the upper portion of the upright members, the upper portion ofeach yoke being located inwardly from its free ends toward the otheryoke and extending over said frame at a substantial distance above it,each upright member being joined at an intermediate portion to the upperportion of the yoke.

5. A supporting base for a rack comprising a pair of yokes, the freeends of the yokes extending downward, a lower frame extendinglongitudinally and at each end thereof transversely into connection withthe free ends of a yoke, and a pair of upright bars fastened at theirlower ends to said frame, each bar being so fastened at a substantialdistance inward from an end of said member and at a substantial distancebelow the upper portion of a yoke, the upper portion of each yoke beinglocated inwardly from its free ends toward the other yoke and extendingover said frame at a substantial distance above it, each upright barpassing through said portion of a yoke.

6. A rack comprising a longitudinal frame at its lower portion, a pairof yokes, the free ends of each yoke extending downward from an upperconnecting portion, said frame extending transversely at each end intoconnection with the free ends of a yoke at a substantial distance belowsaid upper portion, a pair of upright bars fastened at their lower endsto said frame, each bar being so fastened at a substantial distanceinward from an end of said frame, and means for bracing and joining theupper portions of the bars to each other, the upper portion of each yokebeing located inwardly from its free ends toward the other yoke andextending over said frame at a substantial distance above it, each barpassing through the upper portion of a yoke.

7. A supporting base for a rack comprising a longitudinal bar, a barbent into the form of a yoke at each end of the longitudinal bar, eachyoke having legs and a portion joining the upper ends of the legs, across member for each yoke extending between the legs of the yoke, eachend of the longitudinal bar being connected to a cross member, a pair ofupright members fastened at their lower parts to the longitudinal bar,each upright member being so fastened at a substantial distance inwardfrom an end of the longitudinal bar, said portion of each yoke beinglocated inwardly from its legs toward the other yoke and extending overthe longitudinal bar at a substantial distance above it, each upright

